Fighting rages on Cairo streets as new government sworn in
Cairo (AsiaNews)
- Three women, three Christians, a football star and not a single Islamist: 33
new ministers of the interim government of Egypt are a sign of "national
reconciliation" desired by the executive born in the wake of Mohamed Morsi's
ouster. This
is according to Ahmed el Moslemani, presidential spokesperson, who was speaking
immediately after the ceremony, broadcast on state television, during which the
transitional executive took office ahead of a new round of elections.
The
Finance Ministry went to Ahmad Galal, an experienced economist who worked for
years at the World Bank; Foreign Affairs went to the former Egyptian ambassador
to Washington Nabil Fahmy; the Interior Ministry remains with Mohamed Ibrahim,
as is the case with Osama Saleh, who returns to the post of Minister of
Investments, a position he held until
May of this year. The same is the case
for the Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou. General
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi - who led the army in the removal of former President
Morsi - keeps the Defense portfolio and becomes deputy prime minister.
The
three women ministers in the new Egyptian government, led by Hazem el Beblawi,
are Doriya Sharaf el Dine, who has been appointed to the Ministry for Information;
Laila Rashed Iskandar to the Environment and Maha Zeneddin (a Coptic) to Healthcare.
The
other two Christians are Mounir
Fakhry Abdel Nour who has been given Trade and Industry and Ramsi George appointed to Scientific Research.
The
new Egyptian Minister of Sports, Taher abuzeid, was instead an Egyptian soccer
star: center forward of the most prestigious El Ahly Egyptian team, in the 80s he
was a famous striker dubbed the "Maradona of the Nile" . He
holds 59 caps with the Egyptian national team and was also summoned for the
World Cup in Italy in 1990. He
stopped playing in 1996.
There
are no Muslim Brotherhood or Salafi representatives in the new government. The
Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan, described the new government as
"illegitimate" and the appintment of the President Adly Mansour as "null."
However,
several sources confirm that "discussions are ongoing" between the
Presidency and the Islamic party, which continues to demand the return of Morsi
to power.
While
the government was being sworn in, clashes between the supporters of the former
president and law enforcement officers continued on the streets. Before
dawn more than 400 arrests were confirmed, but two people were killed in the
violence and an additional 176 were injured. Among them,
there are 3 soldiers and 14 police officers.
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06/12/2012
